Lauren
@laur705.bsky.social
Health Equity | MCH Research | Avid Traveler
Pinned
Lauren
@laur705.bsky.social
· Dec 10
Find Out Why Health Insurance Denied Your Claim
You likely have the right to access records that explain why your insurer denied your claim or prior authorization request. Use ProPublica’s free tool to generate a letter requesting your claim file f...
projects.propublica.org
Pro-Publica developed a tool to help you find out why your insurance claim was denied. I haven't tried this yet but would be interested to hear others experiences. 🩺 🛟
projects.propublica.org/claimfile/?u...
projects.propublica.org/claimfile/?u...
Reposted by Lauren
Trump Administration Erases the Government’s Power to Fight Climate Change www.nytimes.com/2026/02/12/c...
Trump Administration Erases the Government’s Power to Fight Climate Change
www.nytimes.com
February 12, 2026 at 11:34 PM
Trump Administration Erases the Government’s Power to Fight Climate Change www.nytimes.com/2026/02/12/c...
Reposted by Lauren
Today marks the 1 year anniversary where I was illegally fired amongst thousands of other US federal employees. I had worked for more than 10 years in the service of the US federal government and while it had its rough times, I loved this job. And on that day, it was all taken away from me.
February 13, 2026 at 12:35 AM
Today marks the 1 year anniversary where I was illegally fired amongst thousands of other US federal employees. I had worked for more than 10 years in the service of the US federal government and while it had its rough times, I loved this job. And on that day, it was all taken away from me.
Both women and LGBTQ+ people typically earn less than straight men, and they are at greater risk of many chronic health conditions that make going without coverage particularly burdensome. 🛟😷🩺
Health insurance costs are up. Women and LGBTQ+ people are paying the price.
After the expiration of ACA subsidies, soaring health care costs have forced some to dip into savings, take on second jobs or go without coverage.
19thnews.org
January 31, 2026 at 4:37 PM
Both women and LGBTQ+ people typically earn less than straight men, and they are at greater risk of many chronic health conditions that make going without coverage particularly burdensome. 🛟😷🩺
Reposted by Lauren
The United States has officially withdrawn from the World Health Organization.
This is a shameful move that puts both Americans and people all over the world at greater risk from disease outbreaks, which require international collaboration to contain.
This is a shameful move that puts both Americans and people all over the world at greater risk from disease outbreaks, which require international collaboration to contain.
January 23, 2026 at 1:57 AM
The United States has officially withdrawn from the World Health Organization.
This is a shameful move that puts both Americans and people all over the world at greater risk from disease outbreaks, which require international collaboration to contain.
This is a shameful move that puts both Americans and people all over the world at greater risk from disease outbreaks, which require international collaboration to contain.
Trump’s E.P.A. Has Put a Value on Human Life: Zero Dollars
The Environmental Protection Agency has stopped estimating the dollar value of lives saved in the cost-benefit analyses for new pollution rules. 🛟🧪
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/21/c...
The Environmental Protection Agency has stopped estimating the dollar value of lives saved in the cost-benefit analyses for new pollution rules. 🛟🧪
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/21/c...
Trump’s E.P.A. Has Put a Value on Human Life: Zero Dollars
www.nytimes.com
January 21, 2026 at 2:15 PM
Trump’s E.P.A. Has Put a Value on Human Life: Zero Dollars
The Environmental Protection Agency has stopped estimating the dollar value of lives saved in the cost-benefit analyses for new pollution rules. 🛟🧪
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/21/c...
The Environmental Protection Agency has stopped estimating the dollar value of lives saved in the cost-benefit analyses for new pollution rules. 🛟🧪
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/21/c...
Reposted by Lauren
In Texas, Attorney General Ken Paxton launched investigations into Colgate-Palmolive’s and Procter & Gamble’s fluoride toothpastes, calling their marketing “misleading, deceptive and dangerous” to parents and children.
By @annaleighclark.bsky.social
By @annaleighclark.bsky.social
After Sowing Distrust in Fluoridated Water, Kennedy and Skeptics Turn to Obstructing Other Fluoride Sources
Florida and Utah have banned fluoridation, with multiple other states looking to do the same. Critics of fluoride in drinking water point to supplements as an alternative, but many are creating barrie...
www.propublica.org
January 17, 2026 at 12:00 AM
In Texas, Attorney General Ken Paxton launched investigations into Colgate-Palmolive’s and Procter & Gamble’s fluoride toothpastes, calling their marketing “misleading, deceptive and dangerous” to parents and children.
By @annaleighclark.bsky.social
By @annaleighclark.bsky.social
A systematic review of 43 studies confirms prenatal acetaminophen does not increase autism, ADHD, or intellectual disability risks. 🩺🛟🧪
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
Prenatal paracetamol exposure and child neurodevelopment: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Current evidence does not indicate a clinically important increase in the likelihood
of autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, or intellectual disability in children of pregnant
individuals who use paracetam...
www.thelancet.com
January 17, 2026 at 12:50 AM
A systematic review of 43 studies confirms prenatal acetaminophen does not increase autism, ADHD, or intellectual disability risks. 🩺🛟🧪
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
Like hundreds of thousands of women each year who enter pregnancy with chronic conditions, Graham was left to navigate care in a country where medical options have significantly narrowed. Doctors in states that ban abortion have repeatedly denied standard care to high-risk pregnant patients. 🩺🛟
A Pregnant Woman at Risk of Heart Failure Couldn’t Get Urgent Treatment. She Died Waiting for an Abortion.
In a state that had legislated its commitment to life, Graham spent her final days struggling to find anyone to save hers.
www.propublica.org
January 16, 2026 at 5:27 PM
Like hundreds of thousands of women each year who enter pregnancy with chronic conditions, Graham was left to navigate care in a country where medical options have significantly narrowed. Doctors in states that ban abortion have repeatedly denied standard care to high-risk pregnant patients. 🩺🛟
Reposted by Lauren
Stunning photos from Minneapolis, including this one by John Locher for the Associated Press. www.theatlantic.com/photography/...
January 15, 2026 at 7:22 PM
Stunning photos from Minneapolis, including this one by John Locher for the Associated Press. www.theatlantic.com/photography/...
Reposted by Lauren
Over a 24-hour period, the Trump administration thrust public health systems across the country into chaos, abruptly canceling $2 billion in mental health and addiction grants. Then, overnight, it reversed course without explanation.
www.jsonline.com/story/news/h...
www.jsonline.com/story/news/h...
In 24 hours, Feds cancel, then reinstate $2 billion in mental health grants
Many of the populations who would have been affected by these cuts have endured historic gaps in care needs.
www.jsonline.com
January 15, 2026 at 2:21 PM
Over a 24-hour period, the Trump administration thrust public health systems across the country into chaos, abruptly canceling $2 billion in mental health and addiction grants. Then, overnight, it reversed course without explanation.
www.jsonline.com/story/news/h...
www.jsonline.com/story/news/h...
Reposted by Lauren
A judge has ruled that the Trump administration must restore millions in funding to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), saying the cuts may have been intended to punish the group for its public health positions.
www.healthday.com/health-news/...
www.healthday.com/health-news/...
Judge Orders Trump Administration To Restore $12M to American Academy of Pediatrics
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 14, 2026 (HealthDay News) — A judge has ruled that the Trump administration must restore millions in funding to the American Academy of Pediatri
www.healthday.com
January 15, 2026 at 2:15 PM
A judge has ruled that the Trump administration must restore millions in funding to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), saying the cuts may have been intended to punish the group for its public health positions.
www.healthday.com/health-news/...
www.healthday.com/health-news/...
Reposted by Lauren
Harvard Chan School immunologist @yhgrad.bsky.social says it’s not too late to get the flu vaccine. “Especially as we expect the flu to stick around through the next few months. It’s worth noting that it takes about two weeks after vaccination for the protection to kick in.”
Why it seems like everyone has the flu this year — Harvard Gazette
Immunologist says it’s not too late to get vaccinated.
news.harvard.edu
January 14, 2026 at 11:31 PM
Harvard Chan School immunologist @yhgrad.bsky.social says it’s not too late to get the flu vaccine. “Especially as we expect the flu to stick around through the next few months. It’s worth noting that it takes about two weeks after vaccination for the protection to kick in.”
Letters were sent to SAMHSA grant recipients yesterday indicating that federal grants were terminated for “non-alignment” with the agency, according to the official. 🩺🛟🧪
HHS Terminates Billions in Mental Health, Substance Abuse Grants
The Trump administration moved to terminate at least $2 billion in discretionary grants from an agency focused on behavioral health.
news.bgov.com
January 14, 2026 at 11:42 PM
Letters were sent to SAMHSA grant recipients yesterday indicating that federal grants were terminated for “non-alignment” with the agency, according to the official. 🩺🛟🧪
Reposted by Lauren
Your periodic reminder that you have the right to find out why your health insurer denied your claim.
We built a tool to help you do it: projects.propublica.org/claimfile/
We built a tool to help you do it: projects.propublica.org/claimfile/
Find Out Why Health Insurance Denied Your Claim
You likely have the right to access records that explain why your insurer denied your claim or prior authorization request. Use ProPublica’s free tool to generate a letter requesting your claim file f...
projects.propublica.org
January 10, 2026 at 12:00 AM
Your periodic reminder that you have the right to find out why your health insurer denied your claim.
We built a tool to help you do it: projects.propublica.org/claimfile/
We built a tool to help you do it: projects.propublica.org/claimfile/
Reposted by Lauren
Read our full statement by AAP President Dr. Andrew Racine on today’s HHS announcement about the childhood immunization schedule: www.aap.org/en/news-room...
January 5, 2026 at 9:16 PM
Read our full statement by AAP President Dr. Andrew Racine on today’s HHS announcement about the childhood immunization schedule: www.aap.org/en/news-room...
Reposted by Lauren
the implications are beyond tragic.. kids will die. The US is not Denmark, it does not have universal healthcare.. meanwhile trust in public health will continue to be systematically undermined and eroded by RFK Jr and Co
Evidence and not bias and opinion should inform vaccine access- Kennedy and his acolytes have driven straight through the childhood vaccine schedule to recommend reducing ready access to many childhood vaccines
Kennedy Scales Back the Number of Vaccines Recommended for Children
www.nytimes.com
January 5, 2026 at 8:37 PM
the implications are beyond tragic.. kids will die. The US is not Denmark, it does not have universal healthcare.. meanwhile trust in public health will continue to be systematically undermined and eroded by RFK Jr and Co
Reposted by Lauren
1). The US is in the middle of the worst flu season in a decade.
2). Pertussis cases are the highest they have been in 20 years.
3). Measles has rebounded and elimination status has been lost.
RFK.Jr. has not recommended vaccination, instead he is aggressively rolling back vaccine policy.
2). Pertussis cases are the highest they have been in 20 years.
3). Measles has rebounded and elimination status has been lost.
RFK.Jr. has not recommended vaccination, instead he is aggressively rolling back vaccine policy.
January 5, 2026 at 8:42 PM
1). The US is in the middle of the worst flu season in a decade.
2). Pertussis cases are the highest they have been in 20 years.
3). Measles has rebounded and elimination status has been lost.
RFK.Jr. has not recommended vaccination, instead he is aggressively rolling back vaccine policy.
2). Pertussis cases are the highest they have been in 20 years.
3). Measles has rebounded and elimination status has been lost.
RFK.Jr. has not recommended vaccination, instead he is aggressively rolling back vaccine policy.
Reposted by Lauren
I can’t fully articulate the way my stomach dropped when I saw this headline. Please know the evidence has not changed. The people in charge have changed, and they did not consult any relevant experts or the public. “This new policy has not been vetted with pediatricians, the public, or the ACIP”
Federal health officials slash recommended childhood vaccinations under Trump’s directive
The number of recommended childhood shots drops from 17 to 11.
www.statnews.com
January 5, 2026 at 7:20 PM
I can’t fully articulate the way my stomach dropped when I saw this headline. Please know the evidence has not changed. The people in charge have changed, and they did not consult any relevant experts or the public. “This new policy has not been vetted with pediatricians, the public, or the ACIP”
Reposted by Lauren
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), run by Oz and his boss, RFK Jr., will no longer require physicians to report vaccination rates.
Instead, they plan to start having doctors report if they’ve discussed “alternative” vaccine schedules.
Instead, they plan to start having doctors report if they’ve discussed “alternative” vaccine schedules.
CMS to stop requiring states to report childhood vaccination levels
www.cidrap.umn.edu
January 4, 2026 at 10:37 PM
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), run by Oz and his boss, RFK Jr., will no longer require physicians to report vaccination rates.
Instead, they plan to start having doctors report if they’ve discussed “alternative” vaccine schedules.
Instead, they plan to start having doctors report if they’ve discussed “alternative” vaccine schedules.
Reposted by Lauren
1/ 2025 asked a lot of public health. We faced attacks on science. Budget cuts. Political pressure.
But despite all that, progress still happened. Every year, I take a moment to celebrate public health wins throughout the year. So without further ado, here are some amazing wins from 2025👇
But despite all that, progress still happened. Every year, I take a moment to celebrate public health wins throughout the year. So without further ado, here are some amazing wins from 2025👇
December 31, 2025 at 4:28 PM
1/ 2025 asked a lot of public health. We faced attacks on science. Budget cuts. Political pressure.
But despite all that, progress still happened. Every year, I take a moment to celebrate public health wins throughout the year. So without further ado, here are some amazing wins from 2025👇
But despite all that, progress still happened. Every year, I take a moment to celebrate public health wins throughout the year. So without further ado, here are some amazing wins from 2025👇
Reposted by Lauren
It is so embarrassing that this man has a license to practice medicine let alone being Director of the US FDA www.npr.org/sections/sho...
December 30, 2025 at 11:03 PM
It is so embarrassing that this man has a license to practice medicine let alone being Director of the US FDA www.npr.org/sections/sho...
Reposted by Lauren
I heard the Covid’s Wake authors speak at Johns Hopkins, and was genuinely amazed at how much of an alternate reality they were living in and what a poor grasp of scientific concepts they had (yes I am giving them the benefit of the doubt that it wasn’t totally disingenuous from start to finish.)
This is genuinely horrifying. Fact-free far-right agitprop given accolades by credible media across the political spectrum.
Congratulations to Stephen Macedo & Frances Lee, whose book In Covid's Wake has been recognized as:
⭐ A @newyorker.com Best Book of the Year
⭐ An @economist.com Book of the Year
⭐ A @wsj.com Best Book of the Year
Learn more about this eye-opening book: press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
⭐ A @newyorker.com Best Book of the Year
⭐ An @economist.com Book of the Year
⭐ A @wsj.com Best Book of the Year
Learn more about this eye-opening book: press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
December 26, 2025 at 8:24 PM
I heard the Covid’s Wake authors speak at Johns Hopkins, and was genuinely amazed at how much of an alternate reality they were living in and what a poor grasp of scientific concepts they had (yes I am giving them the benefit of the doubt that it wasn’t totally disingenuous from start to finish.)
Reposted by Lauren
Bari Weiss just sent this Christmas Eve email to the CBS News staff about "building trust," which includes her tripling down on spiking the CECOT piece "to make sure it's comprehensive and fair."
One CBS staffer tells me: "She really has no idea how insulting she comes across."
One CBS staffer tells me: "She really has no idea how insulting she comes across."
December 24, 2025 at 6:33 PM
Bari Weiss just sent this Christmas Eve email to the CBS News staff about "building trust," which includes her tripling down on spiking the CECOT piece "to make sure it's comprehensive and fair."
One CBS staffer tells me: "She really has no idea how insulting she comes across."
One CBS staffer tells me: "She really has no idea how insulting she comes across."
Reposted by Lauren
There's a lot of focus right now on a person's right to choose whether to be vaccinated. But the risks falling vaccination rates pose to individuals — especially young babies, the elderly & the immunocompromised — need to be part of that discussion. www.statnews.com/2025/12/23/v...
4 questions to understand the costs of ‘medical freedom’
The choice that one person makes not to vaccinate has real costs — financial and otherwise — for their neighbors.
www.statnews.com
December 23, 2025 at 2:19 PM
There's a lot of focus right now on a person's right to choose whether to be vaccinated. But the risks falling vaccination rates pose to individuals — especially young babies, the elderly & the immunocompromised — need to be part of that discussion. www.statnews.com/2025/12/23/v...
Reposted by Lauren
Here’s the highest-quality upload of the 60 minutes CECOT segment I’ve found so far:
www.dailymotion.com/video/x9w8gyi
www.dailymotion.com/video/x9w8gyi
Banned 60 minutes segment on CECOT
Dailymotion video by fond_.mhb423
www.dailymotion.com
December 23, 2025 at 12:07 AM
Here’s the highest-quality upload of the 60 minutes CECOT segment I’ve found so far:
www.dailymotion.com/video/x9w8gyi
www.dailymotion.com/video/x9w8gyi